The blue economy can play an important role in economic and social development. It’s a resource-rich economy which contains various kinds of fisheries, offshore oil and gas and can be used for transportation purposes (Cargo, Ferries). Nonetheless, marine energy can be used for generating electricity by using ocean winds and tidal energies. Fisheries is contributing 0.39 % to the GDP of Pakistan. It provides employment opportunities and livelihood to the people living in coastal areas. It promotes the tourism sector also.
Climate change and pollution affect the growth and potential of the blue economy. The torrential rainfall, floods and melting of glaciers increase the sea level resulting in the loss of biodiversity. The Green House Gases (GHG) are depleting the ozone layer and increasing the temperature which is responsible for ocean warming and salinity. However, it reduces the flow of water and forces marine animals to migrate and this will affect the livelihood of the coastal communities.
Moreover, the dumping of waste material from agricultural and industrial sectors in oceans and seas will pollute the marine ecosystem and damage ocean health. To get more benefits from the blue economy, the government should have to protect the marine environment from pollution and climate change impacts by using an integrated approach and effective policies.
What is Blue Economy?
Blue economy refers to the way oceans are contributing to the economy. The idea of a blue economy recognises the ‘ocean and seas’ as the main engine for economic development and this area has great potential for growth and innovation. The blue economy can also be called the ‘Ocean Economy. The World Bank has defined the blue economy as “a concept that seeks to promote social inclusion, economic growth and preservation of livelihoods while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability of the oceans and coastal areas” (Kacary, 2021).
Pakistan’s Blue Economy
Pakistan has a geo-strategic location and its proximity to oil-producing countries have increased its worth in the Indian Ocean. Pakistan’s coastal line is 1,050 Km long and it is ranked 74th out of 142 coastal states. The land-to-coast ratio is approximately 1.36 and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers an area of about 240,000 Sq.km. Pakistan covers a mangrove forest area of about 160,000 hectares and places at 24th rank in terms of mangrove area. The country has one of the largest coastline natural harbours and is abundant in marine resources. The sea trade is not interrupted by any hurdle due to its strategic location and high-performing machinery.
The maritime sector acts as a backbone for our national economy as 100% of the oil and 95% of trade is carried out through the sea route. The seaborne trade in Pakistan is approximately 110 million DWT. If there is a conducive environment, Pakistan’s seaborne trade has the potential to support Pakistan to achieve 5-6% economic growth.
Climate Change and Marine Environment
The marine environment all over the world is facing numerous environmental stresses, these climate change is affecting the oceans adversely. The coastal development activities initiated by humans are damaging coral reefs and other underwater habitats. Waste material from industries, agriculture, and households are dumped into the oceans which causes pollution and affects the marine flora and fauna. As per the research, the oceans have the potential to observe greenhouse gases (GHG) and help in mitigating global warming. On contrary, the absorption of GHG will put a negative impact on the health of the ocean. Due to global warming, the ocean surface temperature is increased by 0.7%. Moreover, the sea level rise due to the expansion of water and melting of the glacier. In the last two decades, the surface temperature of the Arabian Sea has increased between 1.2 to 1.4 oC. The ocean and coastal population are at the stake due to an increase in the temperature of the sea surface, ocean acidification and extreme weather events prompted by climate change. Marine heat waves in the ocean are having detrimental effects on underwater life.
Impact of Climate Change on Fisheries in Pakistan
Fisheries and aquaculture are dependent upon the marine ecosystem (coastal and freshwater). The aquatic ecosystems are affected by the repercussions of climate change i.e., salinity, changes in temperature and acidity. The fishery sector plays a vital role in the blue economy of the country.
Pakistan despite being less contributor to GHG yet, is one of the hardest hit countries by climate change. The frequent occurrence of extreme weather conditions will have a significant impact on the fishery sector. The decrease in the surface water of the river will force underwater species to migrate for their survival.
Conversely, the increase in sea level or floods will affect the fish habitat and escalate coastal erosion. The KP fishery sector has to bear a loss of Rs 1.82 billion due to flooding in 2022. Due to the destruction of fish farms and hatchery nurseries.
Climate change will reduce the livelihood of the people living near the coastal areas whose sole earnings are dependent on this sector. Climate change-induced events will force fishers to migrate to other areas in search of alternative sources of earning and it will increase the vulnerability of the poor people.
How to Protect the Blue Economy?
Ocean will play an important role in mitigating climate change by absorbing 23% and 90% of human cause carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions, respectively. The blue economy can be preserved with integrated and coordinated actions among the stakeholders, NGOs and governmental departments.
To protect oceans, the High-Level Panel (HLP) for a Sustainable Ocean Economy has suggested an approach i.e., marine spatial planning that brings together the different users of oceans including government, energy, industry and conservation to make coordinated and informed decisions about utilising the marine resources efficiently.
The coordinated actions help countries to frame effective and efficient climate responses and achieve the target goals of SDG 14, Life Below Water which aims at conserving and sustainably using the seas, oceans and marine resources for attaining sustainable development in the blue economy. SDG 14 can be achieved by highlighting and identifying the respective interest and roles of the different users who are participating in the oceanic economic sectors. Following an integrated approach will support the adoption of measures that will mitigate the climate change risk and help in achieving SDG 13, Climate Action.
Spatial planning along with prior risk information mechanisms will give support to countries to improve their preparedness plan for future extreme weather events. For instance, Mozambique has recently approved the marine spatial plan to address coastal erosion.
Moreover, in Climate Change Action Plan (2021 -2025) the World Bank have set ambitious targets of 35% of financing that must support green and resilience development. This initiative aims at incorporating climate change aspects in development projects, therefore, supporting low-income countries to adapt and mitigate its impact.
The climate-informed marine planning is essential to achieve sustainable development goals. Furthermore, it will help in meeting the national goals and commitment to conservation, biodiversity and ecosystem restoration. It will urge countries to include climate-related risks in their projects and investment to mitigate future risks.
Using Oceans in a Better Way
Efficient planning will help countries to move to low-carbon solutions by using untapped resources of the marine sector to combat climate change risk. For instance, using low carbon fuel bunkering, offshore renewable energy and decarbonized maritime transport will limit the GHG in oceanic sectors.
The oceans and seas can protect nature from climate risks. The ocean habitats such as salt marshes, mangroves and seagrasses have the ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at rates up to 4 times more than the forests. Moreover, healthy coral reefs have the capacity to protect the environment from climate hazards by limiting the intensity of waves by an average of 97% and offshore wind energy has the potential to generate clean energy.
Short Term Reforms
Identify and Protect the Value Area
To protect the blue economy, the government can identify the areas which may be affected by climate change to protect it. For instance, a sanctuary (shelter) has been established at Mekong River, to protect fish in the dry season and seldom can be used as a spawning area.
Coordination and Partnership
Government departments, civil society and NGOs along with technical departments (metrological) need to be included in the planning process. Moreover, private and public partnerships can play an important role.
Monitoring
The meteorological department along with dwellers should gather the information to monitor change in the ocean to reduce the damage that occurs due to climate change.
Long Term Reforms
Protect from Pollution
Government should take strict action against land-based pollution (agriculture and urban runoff) and prohibit destructive fishing practices (e.g fishing with explosives and poison).
Governance and Policy Making
The blue economy mainly fisheries and aquaculture have the potential to play a significant role in achieving sustainable growth. Hence, the government should incorporate these sectors into food security and climate change adaptation policies at the national level.
Spatial Planning
This comprises marine and terrestrial zoning (integrated approach including different departments) for siting of aquaculture facilities and mangrove areas to balance aquaculture needs with terrestrial development and shoreline protection with rising sea levels.
Climate Smart Aqua Culture
The aquatic ecosystem should be efficient and resilient to absorb the climate change effect. It includes refining and defining cultivation techniques for new species such as air-breathing fishes.
Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning
It is the software that supports humans in decisions making process with the help of data. It can be used in combating climate change risk through means of problem-solving, forecasting and predictability.
Conclusion
The blue economy has the potential to increase the economic growth of the country and support mitigating the climate change impact. However, oceans are also affected by climate change risks such as high surface temperature, an increase in sea level, changes in salinity, ocean acidification and floods which forces underwater species to migrate. To preserve the ocean economy government has to identify the valuable area, follow an integrated planning approach, monitor the ocean, protect it from pollution and revamp existing and devise new policies.
References
https://www.oxfordshirefloodtoolkit.com/pdfs/24/fisheries-flooding.pdf
https://eco.ca/blog/what-is-the-blue-economy/
https://blogs.worldbank.org/climatechange/protecting-oceans-climate-change-impacts
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